U.S. troops in Afghanistan celebrate Thanksgiving

9:43 PM,
Nov. 22, 2012

Written by

Jim Michaels
USA TODAY

Lance Cpl. Benjamin Brannon clasped hands with his fellow Marines sitting around a table. The group prayed silently over plates of turkey and stuffing.

A day earlier, their vehicle had run over a roadside bomb during a route-clearance mission. The explosion damaged their vehicle, but no one was injured.

"I'm thankful for that," said Brannon, 21, before tucking into a traditional holiday meal served to Marines at this outpost in Helmand province in southwestern Afghanistan. It was his first combat deployment. ...